Tuesday, 30 April 2013

This is a delicious, easy and super healthy summer salad with lots of flavour! It can be eaten on it's own, with a lettuce salad or with a nice piece of fresh fish.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side)

1/2 a packet/tin of Merchant Gourmet Ready to Eat Puy Lentils (250g)

1/2 a celeriac, peeled and chopped into small chunks

2 tbsp good quality olive oil

1 1/2 handfuls hazelnuts, roasted

leaves off 4 large mint stalks, finely chopped

salt and pepper

1. Start by boiling the celeriac in a saucepan for roughly 12 minutes, until tender but still a little hard.

2. While you are cooking the celeriac, prepare the other ingredients. Put the hazelnuts in a frying pan and roast them for 4 minutes on a medium heat, frequently moving them so they don't burn.

3. Empty the lentils into a bowl, add the chopped mint and olive oil.

4. Once the celeriac is cooked, drain and rinse with cold water so that it cools down quicker. When it is cold, place it in the bowl. Roughly chop the roasted hazelnuts and also put them in the bowl. Mix the dish thoroughly before serving.

Monday, 29 April 2013

I was so happy to find some reduced off cuts of Aberdeen beef on the meat counter in Waitrose. Reduced by £7, at a whopping value of £1.50, it will probably last me for three or four meals! Don't let these bargains pass you by, I always buy reduced items as it is a great way to save money and buy things you wouldn't normally look at.

This is a super easy recipe and the courgette salad can be eaten with just about anything. Some people might be skeptical about trying raw courgette, but once marinaded, you won't be able to tell the difference. Use some of the same garlic, mint dressing to coat the rest of the salad.

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 courgette, sliced thinly using a peeler or cheese slicer

leaves off 4 sprigs of mint, finely chopped

6 tbsp good quality olive oil

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 clove of garlic, crushed

salt and pepper

Crush the garlic in a pestle and mortar and then add the oil and vinegar. Marinade the courgette in this mixture along with the chopped mint and let the courgette soak up all the goodness. It lasts for a good while in the fridge, and is great as a substitute for salad.

1. Place all the ingredients for the overnight oats in a small jam jar and mix thoroughly before placing in the fridge overnight or for a couple of house.

2. When the overnight oats has done its magic, start to layer it up in a glass. Start with 1 large tbsp of porridge, then 1 tbsp yoghurt, then a few slices of banana. Continue this until the glass is full, and sprinkle some cinnamon on the top to decorate.

The glass I used was a little small, so you can either make two or use a bigger glass.

2. After the pasta has been cooking for 6-8 minutes, place the butter into a frying pan. Once melted, add the garlic and fry until golden. Pour in the wine and cook the garlic for another minute. Finally, add the mushrooms and basil, and simmer until cooked (but not overcooked).

I bought some cheap broccoli from my local vegetable shop and decided to make soup with it - along with other bits of pieces in my fridge. One of the other ingredients in this dish are tinned new potatoes, my new favourite thing. Here's what I came up with, it's super delicious and fresh!

Ingredients (serves 4 as a starter)

1 onion, sliced

1 very large clove of garlic, or two small cloves, roughly sliced

one large broccoli, florets only

3 sticks of celery, chopped

3 tinned new potatoes, cut in half

half a chilli, deseeded and chopped

1.2 litres boiling water to one chicken stock cube

8 whole coriander seeds

1 tsp coriander

a pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

salt and pepper

1. Start by frying the onion and garlic in a little vegetable oil for minute and then add the celery and broccoli.

2. Stir for a few minutes and put in everything else. Cover with a lid and simmer for around 15 minutes.

3. Now you have the choice of eating the soup as it is, or blending it in a food processor.

Monday, 22 April 2013

I bought some tinned new potatoes for the first time and wanted to try them out. They are such a useful item to have in the larder, and when they are opened, they last for a while in the fridge. It's a bonus that they are cheap and taste good!

Ingredients (serves 2)

4 eggs

1/2 contents of tinned new potatoes (8 small potatoes)

2 handfuls of peas

1/2 onion, sliced

1 handful of spinach

1 small bunch coriander, stalks and all, finely chopped

6 slices of ham, chopped

1/2 tsp paprika

a pinch of chilli flakes, or more

vegetable or sunflower oil for frying

grated cheese (optional)

1. Start by thawing the peas and spinach in hot water.

2. Fry the onions in a small frying pan with a little vegetable oil for a minute and then add the potatoes. Continue frying for a couple of minutes. If the potatoes start to stick in the pan, add more oil.

3. Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the other ingredients (apart from the cheese, if using) including the thawed peas and spinach.

4. Add another tbsp oil to the pan and pour the egg mixture over the onions and potatoes. Cook the omelette with a lid on for 10 minutes and then transfer it to the grill for another 5 minutes (without the lid). If you are using grated cheese, sprinkle this on top of the omelette before putting it under the grill. Make sure the pan is poking out of the oven if it has a plastic handle, or it will melt!

I love cooking and inventing curries as there is so much scope for experimentation. Obviously homemade curries are never going to taste as delicious as going to an Indian restaurant. They are far healthier however, and such fun to make! This is my own recipe where I use a 'bung it all in' technique, please expand your creativity and give it a try.

Ingredients (serves 6)

for the curry sauce -

1 tsp groundnut oil

1/2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp vegetable oil

2 heaped tsp mango chutney

1 tsp curry paste (I use Patak's Korma paste)

3 cloves of garlic

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground ginger

a few slices of chilli

a few kaffir lime leaves or curry leaves

10 whole coriander seeds

seeds from 2 cardamon pods

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 handful of fresh coriander, stalks included

salt and pepper

200g yoghurt

300ml chicken/vegetable stock (make 600g as you will need it for the rice)

enough chicken or vegetable stock to just about cover the rice (roughly 200-300g)

for the curried aubergine -

1 whole aubergine, chopped into similar sized pieces

vegetable oil or olive oil if you're feeling naughty

2-4 tsp curry powder

2-4 tsp turmeric

1. Heat the oven to 180°c. Place all the ingredients for the curry paste/sauce, except the yoghurt and stock, in a mixing bowl and grind up using a hand blender or food processor. Once it resembles a smooth paste, mix in the yoghurt to form a yellow sauce and add the cut up chicken. You can either marinade the chicken in the sauce for a while in the fridge, or cook it straight away.

2. Place the chopped aubergine on a baking tray and drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with turmeric and curry powder. Place the aubergine in the oven to cook for 20 minutes. Occasionally remove the tray from the oven and stir or add more oil if they look too dry. These should be ready by the time the curry and rice is cooked.

3. Fry the onions in a large wok/frying pan in a little vegetable oil, then add the saucy chicken. Gradually add the stock so that the mixture doesn't stick and stays juicy. Cook the chicken for about 8 minutes before adding the chopped courgette.

4. Now start making the rice. Add the onion, chilli and ginger to a frying pan with a little vegetable oil and fry for a minute or so. Then add all the remaining ingredients for the rice. Cover the pan with a lid, bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to very low. The rice should take roughly 10-12 minutes.

5. When the rice is almost ready, add the spinach and cashew nuts to the curry and stir until the spinach is cooked.

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c and arrange the cupcake cases in cupcake tins or on a baking tray.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl, then add the sugar and set to one side.

3. Purée the beetroot with a blender and then stir in the eggs one at a time. Then pour in the oil and essence.

4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and gently add the beetroot mixture whilst stirring.

5. Pour the mixture into the cupcake cases and bake for 15 minutes, until the top is firm when pressed with a finger.

6. Cool on a wire rack while you make the icing.

7. Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a saucepan filled with a little water. Once it has melted, turn off the heat and sift in the icing sugar. Gradually add the water until it becomes a good consistency for icing.

I made this paste from of all sorts of larder loving ingredients, and the good thing about curry is that you can chop and change what goes into the paste as it will always taste delicious. This is easy peasy and scrumptious.

Ingredients (serves 4)

for the curry sauce -

1 tsp groundnut oil

1/2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp vegetable oil

2 heaped tsp mango chutney

1 tsp curry paste (I use Patak's Korma paste)

3 cloves of garlic

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground ginger

a few slices of chilli

a few kaffir lime leaves or curry leaves

10 whole coriander seeds

seeds from 2 cardamon pods

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 handful of fresh coriander, stalks included

salt and pepper

200g yoghurt

300ml chicken/vegetable stock (make 600g as you will need it for the rice)

enough chicken or vegetable stock to just about cover the rice (roughly 200-300g)

1. Place all the ingredients for the curry paste/sauce, except the yoghurt and stock, in a mixing bowl and grind up using a hand blender or food processor. Once it resembles a smooth paste, mix in the yoghurt to form a yellow sauce and add the cut up chicken. You can either marinade the chicken in the sauce for a while in the fridge, or cook it straight away.

2. Fry the onions in a little vegetable oil, then add the saucy chicken. Gradually add the stock so that the mixture doesn't stick and stays juicy. Cook the chicken for about 8 minutes before adding the chopped courgette and fennel.

3. Now start making the rice. Add the onion, chilli and ginger to a frying pan with a little vegetable oil and fry for a minute or so. Then add all the remaining ingredients for the rice. Cover the pan with a lid, bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to very low. The rice should take roughly 10-12 minutes, by which time the chicken curry should be cooked.